Acetylene-gas generator.



PATENTED JAN. 20, 1903.-

T. H. J. LEGKBAND. AGETYLENE GAS GENERATOR APPLICATION PII JED FEB. 2, 1901.

10 MODEL.

A/ a 0 5 1 .6M

llama ATENT FFICE.

THEODOR II. J. LEOKBAND, OF DES MOINES, IOWA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO ALFRED C. EINSTEIN, OF ST. LOUIS,

MISSOURI.

AosTYLENE-eAs GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 718,950, dated January 20, 1903.

Application filed February 2. 1901. Serial No. 45,693. (No model.)

To a whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, THEODOR H. J. LEc BAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa,have invented a new and usefulAcety lone-Gas Generator, of which the following is a specification.

My object is to provide a gas-generator adapted for storing therein a large quantity to of calcium carbid in such position relative to the generator and gas-holder that the reciprocating motions of the bell can be utilized for regulating feed mechanism connected with the magazine, the generator, and the bell, as required to automatically feed carbid to the generator at intervals of time, so that a given quantity of carbid stored in the magazine will be supplied to the generator whenever necessary and such time and labor and personal attention as heretofore required dispensed with.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, as hereinafter-set forth,pointed outin my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a vertical sectional view that shows the relative positions of all the parts and all connected as required for practical use in an acetylene-gas plant. Fig. 2 is a detail view of a portion of the automatic feed mechanism.

The letter A designates the main portion of the gas-holder, adapted to retain water, and A is the bell, formed and telescopically connected therewith in a common way.

A is an auxiliary fixed bottom, by means of which a chamber, adapted to retain water, is produced under said fixed bottom. A is a safety escape-pipe fixed to the center of the fixed bottom A to extend perpendicularly upward and also horizontally outward and then upward.

A is a tube, open at the bottom and closed at its top, fixed to the center of the top of the bell A and'tclescopically connected with the pipe A B is a service-pipe, and B an open-ended supply-pipe, fixed in the bottom A and extended up into the bell.

B is a pipe connected with the pipe B below the bottom A and extending horizontally into a generator.

13' is a rod or pipe fixed to the pipe B outside of the main portion of the gas-holder and projecting perpendicularly in alinement with the pipe A. It is obvious the pipe B may be extended to lamps located at a distance. Bearings 13 and B in the form of brackets fixed to the top of the bell A and connected with the pipes A and B in combination with guides c and c, fixed to the top of the part A, aid in retaining the bell perpendicular in its movements.

D is a generator, and D a magazine adapted for storing carbid therein, fixed on top of the generator. Its lower contracted end is fitted in the top of the generator and terminates in an open-ended elbow D to which is fitted a rotatable open-ended feed-cylinder D to incline downward. Ball-bearing grooves in the overlying parts retain ballsf, as required to reduce friction and to facilitate the rotary motion of the feed-cylinder. A plurality of rings f, fixed in the cylinder D produce annular shoulders that prevent carbid from falling from the cylinder when the cylinder is stationary.

To rotate the feed-cylinder at intervals, as required to cause carbid to drop into the generator D, automatic mechanism is connected with the bell A the generator D, and the rotatable feed-cylinder D, as follows: A rod g, having a semicircular lateral bend g, is fixed to the bearing or bracket B at its top end and connected at its lower end with the perpendicular pipe 13 by means of a guide g", fixed to the rod and slidably connected with said pipe in such a manner that the rod will move up and down with the bell. A rock- 90 shaft his mounted in bearings fixed to the 7 outside and top portion of the generator D. An arm h projects from the outer end of said shaft and is connected with the rod 9 by means of a ring or loop h, swiveled to the 95 end of the arm, that allows the rod to move up and down relative to said arm and rockshaft. A rotatable shaft J is mounted in a bearing J fixed to the inside of the generator D and connected with the rock-shaft h by means of a gear-wheel J fixed to the rotatable shaft in such a manner that intermittent rotary motion will be imparted to the rotatable shaft-by the action of the rock-shaft and such rotary motion transmitted to the feed-cylinder D by means of a rotatable shaft 70, journaled to the lower end of the bearer J and fixed to the lower end of the feed-cylinder by means of a semicircular frame 10, a bevel-gear on the shaft J. and a smaller miter-gear on the shaft 70, as required to cause carbid to drop from the cylinderinto the water in the generator whenever necessary.

L represents a cover fitted and fastened to the top and outside of the generator D in any suitable Way, as required to conceal and protect the gear J and J and operative mechanism connected therewith.

When the bell A and rod 9 descend, the lateral bend g imparts motion to the arm h, as required to actuate the mechanism that transmits power and motion from the rod 9 to the feed-cylinder D A ratchet-wheel m, on the side face of the wheel J and a pawl m, connected with the arm h", lock the Wheel J to the shaft h, as required to rotate it and to transmit motion to the feed-cylinder at each descent of the bell and rod, and at each upward motion of the bell and rod the arm 7t resumes its normal position, while the wheel J and shaft h remain stationary. It is therefore obvious that when the gas in the gasholder has been reduced so as to allow the bell to descend the automatic feed mechanism Will be actuated as required to generate a new supply of gas in the generator, to be conveyed into the bell by means of the pipes B and B Collars or stops m on the pipe A and the rod or pipe B restrict the upward motion of the bell.

n represents a stuffing-box.

A sleeve 11/, having a screen at its bottom and closed at its top, is placed on top of the pipe B and floats n, connected therewith, for filtering the gas and preventing gas from returning to the generator.

A screen P is fixed in the generator D to receive carbid as it falls from the feed-cylinder and to aid in subjecting the carbid to the action of the water and to prevent accumulation of carbid in the bottom of the generator.

1? is a pipe connected with the bottom of the generator, and P is an extension connected therewith by means of a swivel P in such a manner that the extension can be turned down for removing residuum from the bottom of the generator.

R is a half-round stand-pipe fixed to the outside of the generator D, and R is an opening in the generator that communicates with the stand-pipe.

R is a float fitted iu the conveyer R, and R is a stem that extends up from the float through a guide R fixed to the outside of the magazine D in such a manner that it will serve, in combination with indices 8 and 8 on the outside of the magazine, as an automatic register of the Water-line in the generator. Pressure of gas upon the water will cause the Water and float to rise some space above the surface of the water in the generator, as shown.

Aweight Ton the end of an arm or bar T fixed to the shaft K, will when elevated by the rotation of the shaft K as the bell descends fall back and in so doing continue the rotation of said shaft at a greater speed, and the feed-cylinder is by the force of gravity of the weight moved suddenly, and consequently a greater quantity of carbid discharged therefrom to produce sufficient gas to cause the bell to ascend again; Positive actionis thus imparted to the rotatable feed-cylinder every time the quantity of gas in the bell is reduced sufficiently to cause the bell to descend and by means of the lateral bend g in the rod g, carried by the bell, to actuate the feed mechanism in such a manner that no attendant is required for feeding carbid to the generator as long as the'supply in the magazine is not exhausted.

Having thus described the construction, functions, and arrangement and combination of all the parts, the practical operation and utility of my invention will be readily understood by persons familiar with the art to which it pertains, and

What I claim as new, and by Letters Patent, is

1. In a gas-generator, the combination of a magazine adapted to retain carbid, a rotatable cylinder provided with interior pockets at the bottom of the magazine and a generator adapted to retain Water and gas, for the purposes stated.

2. In a gas-generator, a generator adapted to retain water and gas, a magazine adapted to retain carbid, a feed-cylinder provided with interior pockets adapted to carry carbid desire to secure rotatably connected with the lower end of the magazine, and means for operating the feed-cylinder, arranged and combined for the purposes stated.

3. In a gas-generator, a vessel or generator adapted to retain water and gas, a magazine adapted to contain carbid on top of the generator and having an elbow at its lower end and an open-ended cylinder provided with pockets in its interior rotatably connected with the end of said elbow, arranged and combined to operate in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.

4. In a gas-generator, a Vessel or generator adapted to retain water and gas, a magazine adaped to retain carbid on top of the retort and having an elbow at its lower end and an open-ended cylinder having pockets in its interior rotatably connected with the end of said elbow, a rotatable shaft fixed to the end of the cylinder in alinement with the axis of the cylinder, arranged and combined to oper-- 5. In a gas-generator, a vessel or generator adapted to retain water and gas, a magazine adapted to retain carbid and provided with an elbow-shaped and downwardly-inclined discharge-spout at its bottom, an open-ended feed-cylinder rotatably connected with the end of said s'pout and provided with transverse partitions to produce pockets, means for rotatingthe cylinder and a screen fixed in the retort below the open end of the rotatable cylinder, arranged and combined to operate in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.

6. In an acetylene-gas apparatus, a generator adapted to retain water and gas, means for feeding carbid into the retort, a stand-pipe fixed to the outside of the generator and communicating therewith at its lower end, a float fitted in said stand-pipe, a stem fixed to the float and extended perpendicularly on the outside of the generator, indices on the magazine and means for guiding the stem, arranged and combined to operate in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.

7. In a gas-generator, a generator adapted to retain water and gas, a magazine adapted to retain carbid fixed on top of the generator and indices on the outside of the magazine, a stand-pipe fixed to the outside of the magazine and communicating with the generator, a float fitted in said stand-pipe and provided with a stern extended upward to coact with the indices on the magazine, arranged and combined to operate in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.

8. In a gas-generator, a bell in a gas-holder, a rod having a lateral bend fixed to the bell, a generator adapted to retain water and gas, a magazine adapted to retain carbid on top of the generator, a rotatable feed-cylinder connected with the bottom of the magazine and provided with interior pockets, a rotatable shaft fixed to said cylinder, a rotatable shaft in bearings fixed to the generator, a mitergear on theinner end of said shaft andinsideof the generator, and meshing with a bevel-gear on the shaft fixed to the rotatable feed-cylinder, a rotatable shaft in bearings fixed to the outside of the generator, a gear-wheel loosely mounted on said shaft and meshing with a pinion on the outer end of the rotatable shaft in a lower parallel plane, a ratchet-wheel fixed to said wheel on the upper shaft, a pawl pivotally connected with said shaft to engage said ratchet-Wheel, an arm extending from the outer end of said shaft, a ring or loop swiveled to the end of said arm and slidably connected with the rod fixed to and carried by the bell, all arranged and combined to 0perate in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.

9. In a gas-generator, a generator adapted to retain water and gas, a magazine adapted to retain carbid fixed on top of the generator, a rotatable feed-cylinder connected with the magazine and provided with interior transverse partitions to produce pockets, means for rotating the cylinder and a weight connected with the cylinder, arranged and combined to operate in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.

10. In an acetylene-gas apparatus, the combination of a generator, a rotary carbid-feed barrel mounted in said generator and provided with partitions subdividing said barrel into pockets, and means for operating said feed-barrel.

TI-IEODOR H. J. LEOKBAND.

Witnesses:

W. VAN WERDEN, THOMAS G. ORWIG. 

